


2.37 Hours

by CycloneRachel



Category: Krypton (TV 2018)
Genre: Between Episodes, Canon Compliant, Friendship, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Possession, Short One Shot, Spoilers for 2x02, adam pov, because you know who we're dealing with here, but still hope, mention of lobo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2020-05-19 21:47:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19364620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CycloneRachel/pseuds/CycloneRachel
Summary: Seg is running out of time.Adam doesn't have much time to save him, but he's going to try.





	2.37 Hours

Adam would think history would’ve told him about things like this.

Sure, the source of that history had been long since destroyed, but it was still a pretty significant thing that Superman’s grandfather had been (at least partially) taken over by Brainiac. It would’ve been recorded in the Fortress of Solitude, right? He would’ve learned about it, in his efforts to learn everything about Superman’s family background before going back in time to save his world from Zod?

But he hadn’t.

And that had to be good, right, if it was that unremarkable? It wouldn’t have been mentioned anywhere, if Brainiac being inside of Seg was just a temporary thing. He and Seg would get Brainiac out (though he still didn’t know how), and Seg would be safe, and it would be okay.

Everything would be okay.

Except for the fact that, maybe, that part of Superman’s family history hadn’t been set in stone, and was only happening because of him- because of how he’d interfered, and gotten Seg and Brainiac ultimately stranded in the Phantom Zone.

Which set him right back to square one- where he was confused, and unsure of how to proceed, and his best friend at the moment was struggling to keep in control and had just told him to kill him. His best friend also had developing telekinetic and telepathic powers, and his abilities were ever stronger under what Adam now knew was Colu’s yellow sun (even if he was unaware of that right now), which made that all the more difficult.

And oh yeah, an angry Czarnian bounty hunter was likely out for revenge (after Adam had shot him- which, to be fair, he deserved, he was gonna gut Seg… who, even though he had let himself become possessed by accident, still didn’t deserve that), and trying to find the both of them. So Adam could be forgiven if he wasn’t reacting well to any of what was going on.

 _I’m fucked,_ Adam thought. _Everything is fucked, Seg’s going to be possessed for the rest of his life probably, Lobo’s going to make me eat my own entrails or whatever it was he said, I’m going to die on Colu 163 years before I’m born, and if Superman even exists in the present day, he’s probably gonna be half-Brainiac or whatever because of me._

_It’s all my fault. I should’ve never tried to fix things, that only made everything worse…_

Adam shook his head, trying to clear his mind.

_Think. What would Superman say, if he was here?_

_Assuming I would meet him. Which is unlikely, not to mention impossible right now, but…_

_No. Actually, what would Seg say?_

_He’d tell you to hope. He’d tell you to believe in a better tomorrow, and if it were you who was possessed by Brainiac, he wouldn’t give up until he found a way to help you. No matter what._

“I need you to promise me.” Seg said, eyes turning completely black, hands tight on Adam’s shoulders. “Promise.”

“No.”

Adam pushed him away, only a little bit so neither of them lost their balance.

“What?”

“You still have two hours left.” Adam said. “I know, it’s not a lot of time- but we can still do this, yeah? It won’t come down to that. It will be okay. Everything’s gonna be fine.”

_The House of El isn’t going down this easily, not this soon._

_I won’t allow this mistake again. I’m not gonna let myself screw up another time._

_I’m not going to lose you._

He hoped that Seg heard that- and if he did, that he would remember it, as he and Brainiac fought for control of his mind.

“You said that thirty-seven minutes ago.”

“I know.” Adam answered. “But that’s because I mean it. We’re gonna get help, one way or another- but first, we gotta hide from Lobo.”

Seg looked back, as another of Lobo’s wild yells (what did “bastitch” mean, anyway?) echoed through the woods.

“Yeah. I can do running.” He said, following Adam as the two of them took off together- though, of course, Seg soon overtook Adam.

“That’s what I thought.” Adam answered. “So. Where would we go to learn more about Brainiac?”

 _Stupid question_ , he thought as soon as he said it. Seg nodded as if in agreement, eyes turning black once more.

“I have a good idea.”

“Not sure what your definition of “good” is right now, but yeah, I’m listening.”  
~  
They found a cave.

“Yeah, great hiding spot.” Adam said, after Seg had led him to it, the two of them standing at the cave’s entrance. “Great if you want Lobo to corner us, that is.”

“No.” Seg answered, voice just a bit lower, detached. “Lobo won’t be able to touch us here.”

Adam blinked, staring at him.

“What makes you so sure?”

Seg shook his head.

“I- I mean, it’s Brainiac’s tech, right?” he asked as he looked around inside, sounding like himself again. The cave actually more closely resembled the inside of a ship, it was bright white, and Seg could see a single chair inside, which seemed to be mounted on the ground. “Or at least the technology of his people. There’s got to be security measures, I could tap into those and keep Lobo from ever getting into this place.”

“Well, if you’re so confident, let’s go.” Adam said.

They did, and once they arrived, Seg relaxed as he sank into the chair, despite it not looking comfortable. He looked over at Adam after doing so, fear in his eyes.

Adam knew he looked afraid too- or at least, he felt afraid. He didn’t know how much it showed, but he was going to try to put on a brave face anyway.

For Seg. For the House of El, and the future… and for himself, if he survived this.

“I don’t know what’s gonna happen to me.” Seg said. “I still… don’t really know what’s happening- I don’t want to hurt you, or become some terrible thing. I can’t… fight- the darkness- Adam, please promise-“

Seg felt something in the back of his neck, a burst of pain just for an instant.

Then, he knew nothing more.

“Seg?” Adam asked, panic growing. “Talk to me, buddy.”

_“Foolish human. The Seg-El you knew no longer exists.”_


End file.
